AFC Wimbledon boss Jackson: Head of football operations is a vital role

Johnnie Jackson believes that the head of football operations role at AFC Wimbledon is “vital” for the football club moving forward.

Last season’s transfer committee – with recruitment highlighted as one of the main factors behind relegation – consisted of former head coach Mark Robinson, former chief executive Joe Palmer, recruitment manager Will Daniels and two chief scouts.

Interim chairman Mick Buckley recently announced that the Dons would be looking to appoint someone to work alongside Jackson and support him in all facets of recruitment – identifying talent, scouting, dealing with agents and contract negotiation.”

“It’s a vital role for the club,” Jackson told the South London Press. “Trying to put some structure in place behind the scenes gives us the best possible opportunity to be successful.

“Having someone in that role with experience and know-how will help with the day-to-day running of the football club and will help with the recruitment – it’s someone who can be a go-between for myself and with the board. It’s also someone for me to bounce ideas off as well.

“It’s a really important role, something that I was really keen on [implementing] in my early discussions – we need to get a real good structure in place to give us the best opportunity on the pitch.”

Wimbledon’s six-season stint in League One came to an end in May, with a 28-game winless run in all competitions under Robinson and Mark Bowen following them into this season.

The players are due to report back on June 20, with friendlies in July already arranged.

“It’s a clean slate for everyone,” said Jackson. “What happened last season, happened, and it was disappointing for the football club, but everybody needs to move on.

“With myself coming in with a fresh management team, and just bringing in some new faces, is really important to help freshen the place up.”